Our Family Field Trip to ARK Encounter and Creation Museum
If you were to meet my Isaac in person, it wouldn’t take you long to realize how much he loves the Bible! From the time he was itty bitty, he has had a very special love for God’s Word – so for his sixth birthday, we decided to surprise him with a trip to ARK Encounter and the Creation Museum!
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One of the best parts? When we arrived to our Airbnb, his grandparents were there waiting for us!
The kids were so excited that we could hardly get them calmed down to go to bed, but we finally made it happen! ha!
After they were tucked in tight, I decorated the dining room table with all of Isaac’s favorite Noah’s Ark books – at this point, he still had no idea why we were in Kentucky and what we were going to be doing there!
The kids woke up to all things Noah’s Ark and news of where we were headed that day…
…and we were off! Upon arriving to the ARK Encounter, we parked in their parking lot and then boarded a bus to be shuttled over to the main attraction. Having the stroller with us gave us preferred boarding – and we were really happy with how smoothly this went. I always feel a little anxious about how the transportation piece of things is going to work for us, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The ark was breathtaking – I’m not sure I even have the words to describe how huge it seemed – especially to my kiddos!
Comfy shoes were a must as there are three floors of things to see! We spent extra time in the areas of the boat that were most interesting to our kiddos – they especially loved learning about the animals and seeing the models…
…but this room was probably my favorite!
It was a space of the boat where they highlighted the way children’s books often make events from the Bible seem like fairy tales – I feel like this is something really important for Christian families to consider.
A commitment to truth was evident at every turn,
and I was so encouraged to know that this attraction is consistent in pointing tourists to the God of the Bible and the truth of the Gospel.
I love that this experience included my parents – Their commitment to truth will impact our family for generations!
We spent the morning in the ARK (Some families may choose to spend more time exploring the boat.) and then headed to Ezmara’s Buffet (on site) for Lunch. We thought the food was really good – especially for a buffet! There were loads of options for everyone – including lots of desserts.
After lunch, we spent some time outside with the animals.
Isaac’s birthday is in the summer, and I’m not gonna lie – it was hot! There were several times when we said something along the lines of, “Wouldn’t this be a nice trip to take in the fall?” haha!
Even this turtle was complaining about how hot it was that day – I heard him.
Later that afternoon, we hung out with Ken Ham! I was raised listening to his teaching, so it was really special to be able to hear him in person.
If secular humanism is your thing, you are not going to want to hear Ken Ham speak – in fact, you’re probably not going to enjoy this trip at all – but if Biblical Science is your jam, pack your bags! His teaching is fantastic.
Yes, the baby was napping during this part of the day. We cuddled her and listened to Ken Ham speak truth – in the air conditioning. haha!
When the session ended, we grabbed dinner at the Mexican restaurant right there by the ARK Encounter, then we ventured back to our Airbnb for a birthday party.
Bible-themed gifts for my little guy who has told me that when he grows up, he wants to be a police officer and a preacher!
If you want to know what kinds of things we buy Isaac for gifts, I’ve saved most of them here. Heads up: They all have something to do with the Bible!
This giant dining room space was perfect for celebrating! With all of our kiddos’ birthdays being close together, the grandparents brought presents for all!
My parents have such a gift for making things special – my mom’s package wrapping…this is just one of the many ways she loves us so well.
The next day, we explored the Creation Museum!
Before it got too hot, we hung out in some of the play spaces they’ve built for kids!
The girls loved having the chance to run around and play…
…instead of being strapped in to the stroller.
Rainbow Necklaces by Sprinklings Girls
As with the ARK, we hung out in the more kid-friendly areas of the museum…at lunch at Noah’s Cafe (on site)…
…and attended one of the educational classes they were offering for kids.
When our day at the Creation Museum was done, we drove through Skyline Chili to grab some dinner to take back to that giant dining room table at our Airbnb. We closed out our night with a yummy dinner, leftover birthday dessert, and a walk down by the nearby duck pond.
This was such a special trip for us!
Was it hot? Yes. Did one or more children have behavior issues at some point? Yes. Was the seven hour drive long? Yes. Was it worth it? Absotutalootly!
We are looking forward to taking this trip again in the not too distant future! I feel like as our kids get older and older, they will experience new things each time they go – kind of like Disney World…only not at all the same. ha!
Connect with ARK Encounter and Creation Museum:
(Yes, we LOVED our Airbnb. It was a gem of a find with one of the sweetest host families we’ve ever had anywhere! We stayed here. The hosts thought of everything and made it VERY EASY for us to be away from home with four young kids! They are not sponsoring this post – I just really, really, really felt like they went above and beyond to provide beautiful accommodations for this experience, and I want you to know about them, too!
More Family Field Trip ideas can be found here.
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